Dhruv Trivedi
‘Ozark’ season 4 part 2 brings Netflix’s dark slow-burn crime drama to an uneasy conclusion. Wendy and Marty Byrde’s neurotic grab for power while trying to do “what’s best for their family” brings them to a point of no return. Perhaps, most fittingly, it becomes clear that everything has a price, and the finale sees some of the show’s longest-running characters pay a very hefty price indeed.
Dedicated fans of the show will know that Ruth Langmore faces a fair few threats to her life over the course of four seasons. The intrepid Ozarks local has crossed paths with some truly twisted characters, and season 4 part 2 begins with Ruth on the hunt for Javi, the manic new cartel boss. This is possibly the most danger that Ruth has ever been in, so let’s take a look at if she’s still alive at the end of ‘Ozark’ season 4 part 2. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Ruth Dead or Alive at the End Season 4 Part 2?
Season 4 part 1 closes with Ruth’s beloved cousin Wyatt and his new wife, Darlene Snell, killed by Javi. Upon seeing their dead bodies, Ruth’s world collapses, and she quickly makes up her mind to kill whoever is responsible for Wyatt’s death. The fact that it happens to be Omar Navarro‘s trigger-happy nephew doesn’t dissuade her, even though Marty and Wendy try to stop her.
Thus, season 4 part 2 opens with Ruth on a seemingly suicidal mission. Not trusting the Byrdes anymore, she stalks them to a meeting with Clare Shaw, the pharmaceutical billionaire funding the Byrde Foundation. Ultimately, Ruth is able to get Wendy to summon Javi to Clare’s office, where she avenges her cousin and kills the cartel boss.
Of course, merely killing Javi doesn’t solve Ruth’s problems and only exacerbates the Byrdes’ precarious situation. The cartel comes searching for their boss, and things get quite uncomfortable. To show he is still powerful, Navarro initially claims to have murdered Javi but eventually reveals the truth to his sister and Javi’s mother — Camila.
The recently introduced Camila Elizonndro is deceptively bloodthirsty and bullies Clare Shaw to finally reveal that Ruth killed Javi. Marty and Wendy Byrde watch in horrified silence, unable to reveal that they were in on Javi’s murder. Thus, Camila confronts Ruth near the end of the series finale and shoots her. The Cartel boss personally drives up to Ruth’s farm to carry out the killing, and considering Camila is avenging her son, she makes sure that Ruth is truly dead.
Thus, Ruth gets a bullet to the chest and is last seen dead on the ground. The aftermath of her murder isn’t depicted, and we only see Marty and Wendy Byrde going home in silence with the knowledge that Ruth is going to be killed. Ruth’s death makes it unavoidably clear that tragedy follows the Byrdes wherever they go. It also lines up with Marty’s guilty feelings of having blood on his hands and being partly responsible for the deaths of many of Ruth’s family members. Since Marty first met Ruth, she has lost her entire family (except Three) and is now dead herself.
Ruth’s death is largely responsible for the uneasy and dark message of the ‘Ozark’ series finale. Apart from seemingly fulfilling “the curse of the Langmores,” which is mentioned on multiple occasions, the death is also going to have severe repercussions on Jonah. After losing his uncle Ben and realizing his parents are responsible, the youngest member of the Byrde family essentially moves out.
Apart from his uncle, Ruth is the only other person that Jonah connects with, and her death is going to shatter him. Season 4 ends with Jonah committing a murder, and it seems like this is before he even knows about Ruth’s death. Once he and Charlotte do find out, it is likely going to cause a further rift in the family. However, the Byrdes have now chosen their path and must pay the price for it.
Read More: How Did Ruth’s Father Cade Langmore Die in Ozark? Did Wendy Kill Him?
